(57) Disclosed is an aseptic filling machine comprising a filling zone (15) defined by
walls, a vessel-supporting mechanism arranged in the filling zone (15), a content-filling
nozzle (8, 8a) arranged in the filling zone, a pipe passage (5, 5a) for supplying
the content to the filling nozzle, an air blow-out opening (9, 9a) for producing a
positive pressure locally in the filling zone, a fluid passage-forming connecting
member (20, 20a) for detachably connecting the filling nozzle (8, 8a) and the air
blow-out opening (9, 9a), and a changeover mechanism (22, 22a) for connecting the
air blow-out opening (9, 9a) alternatively to an aseptic air supply source and a tank
for recovering a cleaning liquid or a sterilizing fluid, wherein the air blow-out
opening (9, 9a) forms a part of a pipe passage for recovering the cleaning liquid
or sterilizing fluid.
In this filling machine, the filling zone (15) is defined and localized by walls (11,
12, 13, 14), and a positive pressure can be produced and maintained very easily in
the filling zone (15). Furthermore, since the aseptic air supply pipe passage is utilized
as a part of the cleaning liquid or sterilizing fluid recovery pipe passage, the aseptic
air supply pipe passage and the content filling pipe passage or content feed passage
can be simultaneously cleaned or sterilized by one mechanism and an excellent contamination-preventing
effect can be attained by a simple structure and mechanism.
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